I transformed an oversized tee into a DIY racerback t-shirt dress. Follow along for a complete tutorial to make a dress without a pattern that features a sleek racerback cutout.
Experience the proud moment when you share your reconstruction design with others. Give it a try, and explore these t-shirt to dress tutorials today!
There are so many t-shirt upcycle ideas for you to attempt. Start with this DIY racerback t-shirt dress and test your refashion skills.
Take on a new challenge and learn how to do easy DIY fashion projects with me. Understand the fundamentals of a useful skills when you pursue upcycled clothing as a hobby.
In the before and after pic, you can see how the oversized tee really helped to contribute to the A-line dress shape. Tighten up the top bodice, but take advantage of that extra material when shaping the dress.
The main focus for this dress is the sleeveless top bodice. I took the opportunity to spice it up the style a little bit by adding ruffles along the racerback and armholes. The ruffles add a really cute touch to the racerback look.
The A-line dress silhouette adds flow to the dress bottom and also showcases a tasteful style that really balances out the overall look.
I’m super excited with how this DIY racerback t-shirt dress and how it turned out. The ruffles help to cover the tops of the shoulders a little bit, but also allows the dress to maintain a sleeveless silhouette over the arms.
Wear this dress as is, or even throw a denim jacket over your shoulders for a more casual look. As a result, this style is really fun to wear for a variety of occasions.
More T-Shirt Dress Upcycle Designs:
DIY Racerback T-shirt Dress
I’m super excited how this ruffled racerback t-shirt dress turned out. The dress covers the tops of the shoulders a little bit, but maintains a sleeveless silhouette over the arms.
The ruffles add a cute detail to the racerback. Wear this dress as it is, or even throw a denim jacket over for a more casual look.
Materials
- Oversized T-shirt
Tools
- Sewing Machine
- Fabric Chalk
- Measuring Tape
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Straight Pins
Instructions
- For the top bodice, flip the t-shirt inside out and fold in half. Use your favorite crewneck shirt to trace the measurement for the top bodice of the dress. Copy the armhole and shoulder seam. Add ¼” seam allowance, and then cut.
- Use a ruler to draw a straight line from the under armhole to the hemline. Add ¼” seam allowance and cut.
- For the racerback, measure across from the middle of the armhole. Mark 3” away from both sides.
Helpful hint: My width was originally 12”. Therefore, the racerback measurement ended up being 6” wide. - Draw a smooth curve from the shoulder to the 3” mark and then back to the under the armhole. Cut along the chalk mark for the back piece only.
- To make the ruffles, use the discarded sleeves. Cut open the side seams, then measure 1” from the hemline on both sides and chalk mark. Measure 3 ½” from the center of the sleeve and chalk mark again.
- Draw a smooth curved line to connect the marks. Add ¼” seam allowance and cut. Then, copy the ruffle piece for the sleeve pattern on the other side.
- For shirring the ruffles, use loose tension and wide stitch width to ⅛” topstitch. Evenly distribute the hand shirring to finish the 12” long ruffles.
- To finish both side seams, close with ¼” topstitch.
- To attach the ruffles, measure 3 ½” down from the front neckband and mark. Match the end of the ruffle piece to the chalk mark and sew ¼” topstitch along the armhole.
- To finish the under armhole of the dress, simply fold one time and edge topstitch completely around the armhole and also over the ruffles.
Sewing tip: This will help the ruffles to stay positioned and also prevent flipping while wearing.
Notes
An oversized tee works best for this design in order to maintain the A-line silhouette.
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